


In My Head

by kriswritesthings



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Boys Kissing, Family Bonding, Fluff, Gay Panic, Hurt, Inappropriate Erections, Inappropriate dreams, M/M, Mutual Pining, No Smut, Period-Typical Homophobia, Questioning, Realization, Requited Love, Will's just confused, give will happiness challenge, jonathans the best brother
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-18
Updated: 2019-07-20
Packaged: 2020-07-08 04:26:58
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Underage
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,471
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19863463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kriswritesthings/pseuds/kriswritesthings
Summary: When Will wakes up from a, erm… inappropriate dream involving his best friend, he realizes that his feelings towards Mike Wheeler might be a little more than friendly.





	1. In Hindsight...

**Author's Note:**

> This takes place somewhere after season 2-ish, after the snow ball but still during the school year, but doesn’t fit into any plot line. Just for fun! The party are all freshmen and Jonathan/Nancy are seniors in this case. 
> 
> Disclaimer: I do not own any of the cast of stranger things or their characters. I don’t intend to push relationships onto minors but this is a work of fiction set in a fictitious world with fictitious characters. FICTION, is my point. I hold tremendous respect for the actors and do not intend on shipping real life people, only characters.

Will went to sleep Friday night restless, tossing and turning in between his bed sheets. He didn’t know why, but he was endlessly frustrated with Mike and Eleven’s banter that evening when the group decided to hang out at the mall together. 

He didn’t mind that they were talking, and he knew that Mike and El have established before that they were strictly friends, but the fact didn’t keep Will from hating the way the two’s arms would brush every other second or that Mike would laugh a little too hard when El mixed up her words. 

Jealousy? Yeah, Will was jealous. He just couldn’t wrap his head around why.

Mike and Will have been friends longer than anyone else in the party. Will knew that Mike would do anything for him, and they’ve always had each others backs through thick and thin. So why on Earth was Will so upset that Mike was getting close with a new friend? He knew he wouldn’t have been upset if it were Dustin or Lucas getting to know someone else, so why was it Mike that was causing such a problem for Will?

The Byers boy wanted desperately to talk to someone about this issue, but he ruled out almost everyone he knew. He could talk to the party, but he was worried that they would think that he didn’t like Eleven and question the matter further. 

Jonathan came to mind, but that night happened to be the one that his brother decided to go on a movie date with Nancy for the first time in a while. No go. 

Will even considered going to Joyce to help him out with his feelings, but he didn’t want to risk giving his mom a heart attack the second he asked for help in fear that she would assume the worst. 

It was Friday though. He’d have the weekend to figure it out, right?

So, Will decided to sleep it off and hope that the issue would be mentally resolved in the morning. 

In hindsight, he should’ve realized that sleeping off anything would do the exact opposite than fix a problem, but it was already too late for him as he began to doze off. 

Will only was barely able to notice he was in a dream when he woke up in his room, the tell being that he was fully clothed and not in his pajamas like when he laid down to sleep. He sat up, but he was suddenly transported to the Wheeler’s basement. He didn’t know what prompted him to be teleported there, but Will looked around and spotted Mike on the ratty couch that sat next to the table where the party usually played D&D. 

However, what took Will off guard was that a clone of him was also on the couch. 

No, what almost sent Will stumbling to the floor in surprise was that he was watching his clone and Mike on the couch, kissing. 

Actually, making out was a better term. 

Teetering the line of basically being on top of each other at this point. 

Will didn’t know what prompted this imagery to appear in his sleep, but he was unable to force himself to wake up. 

Will had taken to calling his clone Fake-Will, for lack of a better way to describe the scene unfolding in front of him. Fake-Will and Mike resumed kissing, Fake-Will’s leg thrown over Mike’s thighs in an attempt to somehow get closer to Mike when they were already chest-to-chest. The two were already breathing heavily, hands in a frenzy wherever they could reach. Fake-Will raked his fingers through Mike’s locks and tugged on them, causing Mike to barely contain a moan behind his lips as he gripped Fake-Will’s hips. 

Filthy. It was filthy, and Will was forced to watch it all happen. Never in his life had he kissed anyone, nevertheless a boy! Even worse, his best friend, and his dream conscious didn't allow him to transport himself somewhere else.

Soon, it escalated. Shirts were discarded of and thrown onto the floor, and pants eventually followed. Mike flipped the two over so that Fake-Will was under him. 

Will couldn’t make himself look away, even when he tried to cover his eyes. His feet were glued to the ground, arms stuck to his sides. 

It seemed that his conscious hated him, because Will was suddenly transported into the point of view of Fake-Will. In an instant, his lips were connected to Mike’s in desperation, until Mike pulled away. 

Rather, his best friend took to kissing his neck, dragging his lips over the sensitive skin and sucking under his jaw, then leaving bruises all over Will’s collarbone. 

Will could only sit and enjoy what Fake-Will was experiencing, as he still hadn’t gained control of the dream manifestation of himself.

After all the attention Mike gifted to Will’s upper half, Mike eventually lowered his body on the floor so he was on his knees in between Will’s thighs. Hands gripped on his separated knees, Mike looked up to gaze at him through his thick eyelashes, curly hair sticking onto his forehead from sweat. 

Will had seen Mike in a similar state before, when his head was sleepily resting on his folded arms during D&D sessions on hot summer nights and he’d throw a quip at Will, or when they were running to the nearby lake for a swim and Mike couldn’t keep up, hands on his knees to catch a breath. 

However, the difference now was that his lips were swollen and his eyes were half-lidded with...lust? Without warning, Mike’s long fingers were hooked at the waistband of Will’s underwear and he began to tug them down his hips. 

Will already had the image ingrained in his mind when he woke, shooting straight up in his bed. He was sweating and breathing heavily, uncomfortable in the sudden warmth of his bedroom. 

A million thoughts ran across his mind, none coherent. Will could only back on his bed wondering what the hell had manifested in his head while he slept. What had prompted it?

Mike? No, it shouldn’t have been Mike that was the center of Will’s less than appropriate dream. It should’ve been some girl from his classes, someone random and attractive that he didn’t have to talk to on a daily basis. 

Except, Will never found any girls in his classes to really be attractive. They could have nice features and look put together, but Will never found himself attracted to their femininity. 

But Mike… Mike with his slightly-chapped lips and short curly hair and narrow nose that scrunched up when he was annoyed... Will always knew his best friend was attractive, but he usually chalked up his attraction up to simple admiration. 

Was it somehow possible that… Will had a crush on Mike? No, he knew it couldn’t be true. What he chose to ignore was the fact that he knew that sometimes he would stare at Mike when he wasn’t paying attention, usually when he was immersed in a comic or a book, just to imagine what it would be like to get up close to him and really observe his eyes or his cheekbones. 

Will thought that observing the strong jawline of his childhood friend was just that, an observation. 

However, looking back Will anxiously considered the possibility of him liking Mike more and more. Will always thought that Mike’s laugh was angelic, and he was always curious as to what his hair would feel like if he wove his fingers through it. 

Perhaps the likelihood that Will had a crush on Mike was higher than Will had ever considered. 

If anything, he was glad he didn’t go to anyone with the initial issue, lest his revelation dawn on him with someone else around. 

This only left Will with more questions. Was Will… a queer? Gay? He knew of some music artists that Jonathan had told him were gay before, but he never knew what his brother thought of their sexuality. He heard boys at school throwing queer around to use as insults against some other students, and many residents of the tiny town would complain about the gays destroying their livelihood off in San Francisco. 

Surely, Will couldn’t be gay. He was probably just confused, having not ever kissed anyone before. Maybe he should try dating a girl to see what it would be like… except he didn't like any of the girls in his classes. 

The more he tried to convince himself he was normal, Will came closer to the crashing realization that he might be a little bit gay. 

Somehow, he looked back at all of the male celebrities he had a little bit too much interest in, or how he always thought that staring at the boys in magazines was more interesting than looking at the girls in between the pages like his friends did. 

The signs were all there, but he didn’t know if he was willing to accept it that easily just yet. 

Did his brain do this to him on purpose?

His alarm clock told him it was 3:48 am. Despite now knowing better than to sleep in the face of a problem, Will decided that whatever the day would bring him would be much more bearable if he wasn’t completely sleep-deprived. 

So he shut his brain down, actively ignoring his recent realization and definitely trying to push the image of Mike Wheeler on his knees of him the hell out of his head. 

In a fit, Will somehow managed to force himself asleep, eternally thankful for the weekend that was ahead of him.   
______

Will spent his Saturday inside despite the weather being so refreshing outside. Joyce was worried sick for him when he didn’t come out of his room until 12 in the afternoon, pretending to have slept through breakfast when Jonathan checked on him in the morning. 

Figuring that he was tired from the long week, Jonathan convinced Joyce to let Will get some rest and wake him up for lunch instead. 

He ate his lunch in relative silence and let Jonathan fill up the silence at the table with his rambles about finding a job or talking about colleges, though it was oddly comforting to listen to. 

Will finished eating before Joyce and Jonathan and escaped to his room after cleaning his dishes, just wanting to be alone to think. 

After finishing his own lunch, Jonathan hurriedly made his way to his younger brothers room. The door was closed, not unlike him, but normally Will would be running around the house getting ready to go out with the party around this time. 

Jonathan knocked on the door three times, and waited for a response to grant him permission to enter. 

“Yeah?” Came Will’s voice from inside. 

“Can I come in?” 

“Sure,” Will eventually responded after what sounded like him putting something away. 

Suspicious, Jonathan entered Will’s room slowly to only find him on his bed with a book in hand and headphones around his neck. He was glad that he seemed alright until he looked at the circles under his brother’s eyes. 

“You alright, Will?” 

“Yeah, just a little tired I guess. Not really up to hanging out with the party this weekend.” Will fingered the corners of the book pages nervously, hoping it didn’t give him away and prompt anymore questions. 

Jonathan just nodded and looked around the room again. Everything seemed normal, despite Will’s odd behavior. 

“You sure?”

“Yeah, I’m sure, Jonathan.” 

“Okay. Good,” Jonathan responded, unable to think of anything else he could bring up to his brother and leaving. 

_____

When he wasn’t pretending to be busy with something when someone checked in on him, Will was in bed staring at his ceiling in deep thought. 

The same thoughts came up, with him thinking more and more about his sexuality. Even worse, thoughts about Mike also invaded his head. 

They went from daydreaming about Mike’s round lips or fluffy hair to then berating himself for thinking such things. Will shouldn’t be divulging in any of it, because even if he were to fully confirm with himself that he was gay, Mike Wheeler was most definitely straight. 

Even with the off chance that Mike would like boys, never in a million years would he possibly feel the same way about Will. 

When the party came over to his house later in the day to ask where he was and if he wanted to go biking around town with them, Will faked a cough and told Dustin (who was the one at the door, fortunately) that he was feeling a little sick and not up to it. 

He spotted Mike on his bike at the end of his driveway, but immediately looked away and shut the door on his friends. 

Joyce overheard the conversation and questioned her son about not wanting to hang out with his friends, even though he looked perfectly fine. He simply told her that he wasn’t feeling too up to it that day but didn’t want to seem mean. 

Thankfully, Joyce bought it and allowed Will to have his off-day holed up in his room. 

When the night rolled around, Will found himself waiting later and later to go to sleep. Joyce came to his room around 11:30 to ask if he needed anything before she went to bed, but he politely declined and went back to drawing.

After a couple of hours, Will found his pencil sketching out more and more portraits of people eerily similar to Mike and he gave up procrastinating on sleep. He couldn’t distract himself from his drooping eyelids any longer and gave into stumbling under his covers at 1:30 am, almost immediately dozing off despite all the sleep he got in the morning. 

Will regret not forcing himself to stay up just a little longer. As he fell asleep, he was already being transported into his dream world. Somehow, he knew what was going to be presented to him because he tried to force his brain to show him something else, but to no avail. 

He was back in the Wheeler’s basement, except… something was different. No, Fake-Will and Mike were once again making out on the couch Will had learned to now hate, but something was different about them. 

They looked to both be taller, and both had filled out some of their features. Will’s dream conscious had told him that it was him and Mike as older teens, around their junior or senior year at this point in fake-time. 

This time however, their movements were more fluid. They seemed to have gotten a lot of practice, as Fake-Will smoothly pulled himself onto older-Mike’s lap, wrapping his arms around Mike’s neck. They were chest to chest once more, but Will was transported into Fake-Will’s body earlier than he was prepared for. 

Now he was the one on Mike’s lap, making out with him as if he’d done it a million times. This time, tongue was heavily involved and even though Will knew he shouldn’t enjoy it, he did against his own will. 

The arms that used to be around Mikes neck were pushed aside so that Mike could pull Will’s shirt over his head. Will frantically unbuttoned the small buttons of Mike’s flannel and threw it somewhere off to the side, resuming to make out with his… friend? Were they just friends in this scenario? No, no, they couldn’t be… 

Will didn’t have time to think about it as Mike had once more trailed his lips to the underside of Will’s jaw, and he had been reminded once more of how sensitive his neck and collarbone were. How did Mike know how to use his mouth so well?

Will was already breathing hard as Mike began to work at the zipper of his jeans, carefully pulling them down Will’s thighs and lifting him up by his bottom to get them all the way down. 

Will was ready to do the same until Mike gazed at him with that look again. 

His dark eyes seemed to pierce through Will’s soul as he contemplated him through his eyelashes once more. Will’s breath got stuck in his throat and he felt himself suck his bottom lip in between his teeth at the sight. Mike’s eyelashes fluttered as he peered down at the slowly growing… bulge in Will’s underwear. 

That was the night’s cue for Will to jolt awake. He was finally out of the fantasy his mind had thought to gift him, still heaving and sweating like mad. 

Promptly, he got out of bed to go to the kitchen and get some water to cool down, but then he looked down and noticed… no, it couldn’t be. 

There was a noticeable aching tent that was rising in Will’s pajama bottoms. He stared down mortified and wondered how his body could betray him like this. 

He was in destructive denial of anything to do with his sexuality, but this? This wasn’t doing anything to help him. 

Will laid back down in his bed and defiantly refused to deal with the problem downstairs. There was no way that he would rub one out to his best friend, not when the only reason the problem had risen was because of Wheeler himself. 

Will only crossed his arms and stared at the ceiling, determined to not succumb to the ache and instead think of anything, anyone that was as unattractive to him as possible. 

However, what didn’t cross his mind was that what was doing the job was thinking about girls in his classes who he didn’t particularly like, but imagining them naked as well was such a turn-off that after 20 minutes of aggravated day dreaming his problem had disappeared. 

And yet, now he couldn’t sleep. It was around 4 in the morning and Will’s body had decided to keep him awake for as long as possible when he didn’t want it too. Sure, he could have been avoiding another dream, but his brain was begging for sleep and his body could not provide. 

Will didn’t know what time it was when miraculously, he was provided mercy and felt his body finally shut down for the remainder of the night. He was completely and utterly drained, but the morning would prove not to be doing any favors for him. 

Joyce crept into Will’s room around 9 am to tell him that breakfast was ready and to wake him up. Will barely opened up his eyes when he felt his body beg for him to go back to sleep, that what he'd gotten wasn't enough.

She left, but when Will finally forced himself into the kitchen to eat the air was awkward. 

“So…” Joyce trailed off in an attempt to start a conversation after Will sat down. “Will, you’ve been cramped up in your room all weekend. Anything… interesting going on?”

“Not really,” Will answered vaguely, more concentrated on cutting up his eggs. Joyce lightly sighed and shared a worried glace with Jonathan, who only shrugged and resumed eating. 

Later, when Will went back to his room, he reassured Joyce that Will was probably just having an off weekend and to give him space. He’d be alright when school started up again on Monday, right? 

_______

Will’s Sunday turned out to be the same as his Saturday, what with distracting himself with reading and drawing and even taking a shower so he could occupy himself. 

Jonathan and Joyce left Will alone for the rest of the day, not even looking to pry and ask questions at dinner and letting him hole himself up in his room. 

Earlier in the day, Will had paid a visit to Castle Byers after he checked outside his street to make sure his friends weren’t biking down it. He speed walked through the woods to get to his little hut and passed some time “renovating” it by finding more sticks to replace the old ones in the makeshift roof. It was entertaining enough for a couple of hours, at least. 

Lucky for Will though, the party only happened to bike by after he had left and stop at his house, Mike being the one to knock. Jonathan answered the door and was just about to head out himself, so he told Mike that Will had just left the house, assuming his brother probably had a good reason for not wanting to hang out with his friends. 

Mike only disappointedly nodded and soon left with the rest of the group, dejected that Will had been avoiding them despite him being fine before. What was going on? 

_____

Of course, the moon had eventually crept up from the horizon after sunset, forcing Will to grind his teeth and continue reading his comics and books. 

Now, Will was in bed with his alarm clock showing him it was only 12:31 am when he put down his novel. 

This night, he was determined to not fall asleep at all unless he was physically unable to stop himself from succumbing to sleep. Instead, Will decided to work on his D&D notebook under the covers, anything to distract himself. 

1:46. It was 1:46 am and Will was getting bored. He tried to sketch some fantasy characters in his notebook and figure out some interesting backstories and personalities for them, but the second he noticed he had absentmindedly been sketching a new character with black curly hair he figured it was time to think of something else to do. Thankfully, drawing had taken out another hour of the long night ahead of him. 

Will figured that perhaps he could start thinking about his next plan of action. He knew that he could probably buy himself another day of avoiding Mike at school if he thought about it carefully, but from there he was drawing a blank on what to do. 

He couldn’t keep away from his friend forever, but Will was terrified that the moment he saw Mike the lewd images of him from his dreams would be the only thing he would see. 

If anything, Will’s determination to avoid Mike only concretely confirmed that he indeed had mistaken attraction for innocent admiration. 

How was he supposed to know that you weren’t supposed to daydream about your best friend’s handsome features when you’re hanging out? And get slightly jealous when he was talking about a girl he thought was pretty? And-- shit. Will was really just oblivious to it all this entire time, wasn’t he?

Will decided that it was probably better to tell someone sooner rather than later, and instantaneously Jonathan came to mind. He couldn’t wake his brother up this late, but maybe he could help Will figure out what to do.

Besides, Jonathan always told Will he cared for him more than anything else on this Earth, even when Will would ask him too many questions or pester him for a ride somewhere. The worst that could happen was that Jonathan could be disgusted and hate him forever, right? 

Will sighed. The rest of the night was going to be long. 

_____

He made it to 4:30. Will was so, so close to forcing himself awake through the night, until his eyelids began to close in defeat. 

Again, he was teleported to his dream world. He expected to be greeted with yet another segment of Fake-Will and Mike’s inappropriate endeavors, but this time the atmosphere was different. The air wasn’t burning hot and somehow full of passion, but this time it was light and airy. 

Will looked over to where his clone and Mike were normally were making out, but instead received one of the softest moments of the two together that he’d ever seen. 

Fake-Will had his head resting on the crook of Mike’s shoulder while Mike’s arm was thrown around Will’s shoulders. They were both older teens as they were in the previous dream, but without them practically eating each other’s faces Will could really admire the way his conscious had imaged them to look aged up. 

Mike had somehow filled out his jawline and cheekbones more than Will previously thought possible, but Will also noticed how his clone changed as well.

Fake-Will had also lost what he thought of as a weird baby-face in favor of finally developing a jawline and had even pushed his hair back to reveal his smooth forehead. In the back of his mind, Will made a mental note to experiment with the hair style when he woke up.

Coming back to observing the two in front of him, he noticed how Mike was fondly playing with fake-Will’s hair with the hand that was around Will’s shoulder, but using his other hand he was holding hands with fake-Will and gently drawing shapes on his thumb with his finger. 

Fake-Will looked close to dozing off despite the movie that was on the TV in front of them, but as soon as fake-Will’s eyes eventually fully shut, Will’s snapped open. 

Even if he was fortunate enough to not have to witness something that might have to illicit another problem, Will was still breathing heavily. 

Somehow, he felt as if he was intruding on something he wasn’t meant to see, even if it was his own dream and his own conscious. His face heated up, much like the rest of his body as it was suddenly 100 degrees hotter in the room.

Will imagined what it would be like to cuddle so intimately and immediately regret the thought, as he found that he liked it. A lot. 

He had to physically shake the image out of his head because he just crashed and burned along with his hopeless crush. Reality fully knocked him to the ground with this one, but Will couldn’t decide if he’d rather have had a sex dream or something that would make him feel like he’s physically melting into his bed sheets. 

It was around 5 in the morning and Will knew that going to sleep now was hopeless even if he wanted to. Instead, he was left, as usual, with his useless thoughts. He was growing tired, both physically and with himself. 

Will would have been content not having to analyze and question his sexuality, nevertheless figure out what to do about his newfound crush. Why did everything have to be so complicated for him? 

_____ 

Will barely avoided walking to school with the party the next morning. He was able to miss them by feigning waking up late, even if he was awake up until the moment he dramatically shot out of bed and ran downstairs to a rushing Joyce. 

Usually the group would all meet up at a street corner near all of their houses and walk to school together from there, but it was established beforehand that if one person was running late or was unexpectedly home sick, the party was allowed to start walking so as not to be late themselves.

So, naturally to avoid Mike, Will knew that he would have to pretend to be running late and hope that he would make it to school on time to just slip into homeroom. 

Hell, Will would take a tardy if it meant he could get by the day with seeing Mike as little as he could until he could figure out when to talk to Jonathan. It was just one more day, right?. 

However, like many things regarding Will’s luck, that wasn’t necessarily the universe’s plan. Jonathan was at school earlier because he had to meet with one of his teachers, but Joyce was so worried that her son would arrive to school late that morning that she insisted she drive him. 

It put a foil in Will’s initial plan, considering he would probably make it to school a little after his friends did rather than be terribly late. It gave him a little bit over 5 minutes to figure out how to hide around the hallways of the high school until he could walk into homeroom without risking having to talk to Mike in case he was early. 

Yeah, Will was this determined to avoid him. 

Joyce got Will to school just as some stragglers made their way inside. After giving his mom a kiss on the cheek and waving her goodbye, Will managed to walk through the main doors of the school as slowly as he could manage his legs to move. 

Even with these precautions, Will forgot one thing. 

Mike was a worrier.

Will turned into the hallway where his locker was located, he was able to spot Lucas’s head just enter their homeroom. 

He thought he was home free until…. 

Mike was leaned against Will’s locker, nervously gazing at the chunky calculator watch on his wrist while tapping his foot. He finally looked up and spotted Will, smiling at his friend in relief. 

Will desperately ignored the flip flop in his heart. 

“Will! We were worried. You alright?” Mike asked, his brows unfurrowed now that he knew Will was able to make it to school. 

“Y-Yeah,” Will barely muttered, forcing his brain to stop thinking about Mike on his knees. Seriously, this wasn’t the time! 

Instead, he distracted himself by looking like he was very intent on opening his locker and getting his things out for class. 

“You sure? You look a little tired,” Mike stated, leaning in to get a better look at the dark circles under his friends eyes. Will flinched as Mike gazed at him through his eyelashes and jumped away. 

Mike looked hurt, but he was more worried than anything now. 

“I’m fine,” Will tried to say as firmly as possible, refusing to look anywhere in Mike’s direction as he shut his locker and spun around to get into homeroom before the bell rang. 

He couldn’t bare to look at Mike any longer, but instead had to suffer the surprised gazes of Lucas and Dustin that were following him into his seat. Will chose to ignore them, instead choosing to stare at the floor as the announcements played over the speakers. Mike walked in seconds after him, but he only glanced at Will as he disappointedly collapsed in his seat at the back of the class.

As soon as the homeroom bell rang, Will was speed-walking out the door with his books in hand. He pretended to not hear Lucas and Dustin calling after him, but he was determined to make it to his first class so he could release the breath it seemed he was holding since he got to his locker. 

Thankfully, Will only had a class with Max for the first half of the school day before he had to go to lunch.

However, as lunchtime grew closer and closer, Will only got more anxious. How was he going to explain to his friends why he was acting so weird? 

He considered hiding out in the bathroom for the half-hour, but he damned his dedicated friends and realized they would most definitely look for him there and everywhere else in the school if need be. 

He didn’t know what ended up possessing him to do it, but at the end of his last class before lunch, his hand shot up while the teacher discussed the homework for the night. 

“Yes, Mr. Byers?”

“Can I go to the nurse?” Will asked, his voice intent but his tired eyes giving him an advantage in convincing his teacher that he actually had an issue that required going to the nurse to figure out. 

Max was the only one who quirked an eyebrow at Will’s strange behavior, but the teacher relented and wrote Will a pass. 

Will shot up from his seat with his books close to his chest and practically ran out of class. 

After managing to play up feeling sick at the nurses office, the school nurse eventually had to call Jonathan out of class to take Will home since Joyce wasn’t picking up her phone. 

Jonathan came into the nurse's office looking worried, but once glance at Will told him that absolutely nothing was wrong with his little brother. Will ignored his Jonathan's questioning looks until they both left the tiny room with a signed pass to go home. 

Since the office was on the second floor, Will knew that he had more time to talk to Jonathan and explain himself. Nevertheless, his relief about finally leaving was short lived. 

He was silent out the door, but it barely shut behind them when Jonathan began to interrogate him. 

“So, why are you trying to get out of class?” Jonathan asked accusingly, walking down the hallway that would lead them to the staircase downstairs.

“I’m just feeling, uh.. Sick.” Will couldn’t have sounded less believable. 

“You sound like even you know you’re lying. Come on, I had to leave calc to take you home, what's actually wrong?” 

They began to go down the stairs, and Will only stalled until he knew he could reach the exit door. He didn’t want any security cameras or prying ears to catch their conversation. 

He didn’t feel completely guilty about taking will out of class if it was nearing the end of class anyway, but Will mulled over what he could do in that moment. 

He could lie to his older brother again and only feel guiltier about it later, or he could tell Jonathan the truth while he still had him...

Jonathan wouldn’t hate Will if he knew he was possibly (almost definitely) gay, right? Will knew this, but he still assumed the worst. All he had to do was breathe and get it over with. They were going to be outside the school in a second anyway. 

“I… I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Jonathan,” Will decided to start off the topic. It was now or never, he thought. “I’m not sick, and it has nothing to do with the mind flayer or anything, but it’s just…” 

They were finally at the main doors of the school. Will took the initiative of opening up the heavy doors and finally getting a breath of fresh spring air. 

“Yeah?” Jonathan prompted, curiosity peaking at what else could possibly be going on with his brother. He lead Will to his car, which was parked close to the main entrance. 

“Remember when you told me that one musician guy was gay when we were listening to CDs in your room? Do you think it’s weird or something?” Will tried a different approach, but his sentences were still awkward. 

He was able to ungracefully plop himself onto the passenger seat of Jonathan’s car when its engine revved. They were pulling out of the school parking lot and got onto the main road home before he knew it. 

“Yeah, I know who you’re talking about. And no, I don’t think it’s weird. It’s just a part of his life that doesn’t affect his music, and I respect that. You’re not trying too-- oh. Are you trying to tell me that you think you’re… gay?” 

Will remained quiet. He didn’t mean to tear up, but he was just so confused with how he could discover all of his from a dream and a couple of restless nights. 

After a moment, he shakily muttered, “I don’t know.. I think? You won’t hate me, right? Mom won’t kick me out or something, will she?” His words became panicked. 

Because the long road they were driving down was empty of any cars, Jonathan decided that pulling over was the best idea to calm down his brother. “How could I hate you, Will? Mom and I love you no matter what you think you are, even if you’re not 100% sure,” Jonathan stated as he turned the car off and turned to Will, placing a hand on the younger’s shoulder. 

Will had calmed down a bit, but he still messed around with his fingers in his lap. 

“How… How did you figure it out? And why are you skipping school over it?” Jonathan quietly asked. 

“I… It’s embarrassing,” Will muttered, feeling heat creep up his neck. 

“I won’t tell anyone, promise,” Jonathan said, wanting desperately to know what could be so embarrassing for his younger brother that he wanted to leave school for it. 

“Well, I… had a dream about a friend. It was, uh,” Will felt his face burn up, “Interesting. Weird interesting. And I guess I realized I might like him? But I can’t really, uh.. Look at him the same way right away. Agh, it’s so weird!” He buried his face in his hands just talking about it.

Jonathan put two and two together and made a bold assumption about what type of dream Will had. It explained why he looked so tired, but still Jonathan had to know… “Do I know him?” 

Will nodded, now staring exclusively at his lap. Jonathan tried to pry as nonchalantly. “Oh? Can you… tell me?” He tried to suggest it as gently as possible. 

“Mike,” Will barely squeaked out. 

“What was that?”

“Mike,” Will stated, louder than he probably needed to. He was frantically playing with his fingers again, mind forced to dwell on the topic as his breathing quickened. 

“Hey, hey, take a deep breath,” Jonathan immediately said upon noticing Will’s anxiety about the situation. He understood now why it would prompt him to want to leave school early. “Listen, I think that if I can convince mom to not go into Momma Bear mode, you can stay home for a day or two. You’re gonna have to face him eventually, but we can think of what to do next when I get home from school.”

“Y-you don’t think I’m weird?” Will looked up at his older brother with teary eyes. 

“Yeah, you’re always weird, but for this? Not at all.” 

Thankfully, this made Will laugh and he relaxed into his seat. Jonathan started up the car again and began to continue the drive home, leaving Will to think on his own. 

Jonathan… didn’t hate him. Will released a sigh of relief that he didn’t realize he had been storing in his lungs since when he woke up in the morning. He even smiled to himself, turning his head so Jonathan couldn’t see him being a dork about it. 

He decided that until he could sort everything out with Mike, Will would tell his mom a little later. He didn’t want to completely shock her after behaving so oddly during the week, but he also wondered if his mom would begin to pry about any boys or crushes he might have. 

Yeah, that would be weird. 

Instead of pondering on the matter, Will relaxed into the car seat and turned up the music playing in Jonathan’s car. Sure, he had an entire plan to figure out with his brother later on how to tackle his situation, but it was a hell of a lot easier knowing someone else was there to help him.


	2. Confusion

Mike was disgruntled and groaned into his hands while he sat down at the usual lunch table. The party shared the same sentiment as they followed, the same thing on their minds. 

“What the hell is wrong with Will?” Dustin bursted out first, and everyone sighed when the silence was finally broken. 

“I don’t know! I met him at his locker and he was acting super weird. He wouldn’t even look me in the eye!” Mike exclaimed, exasperated. 

“Yeah, and he wouldn’t even look at Dustin and I in homeroom. Besides, where is he right now?” Lucas piped up, looking around the cafeteria to see if he could spot their friend weaving through the crowd of incoming students. 

Max sat down next to Lucas with a lunch tray in hand, clattering it onto the table. “He asked to go to the Nurse’s office last period, that might have something to do with it.”

“Maybe he’s sick?” Mike suggested.

“Yeah, bullshit,” Dustin stated, “No one’s sick but then doesn’t tell their friends about it so they know. If he was sick he would say something again.”

“We could probably check and see if he’s still at the office right now, though. If he’s really sick then the nurse would probably be checking his temperature or something. Either way, it takes a while for someone to come get him, right?” Max thought rationally. 

“Max, that was the best thing I’ve heard from your mouth this week. Let’s go, guys,” Dustin said, immediately rising from his seat along with the others. 

“Hey!” Max exclaimed, but the boys were already packing up their lunches and ready to sneak out of the cafeteria. 

She debated on what to do with the lunch she just bought until she shoved her sandwich in her mouth and barely caught up with the group, who were all silently tip toeing behind the cafeteria monitor and into the hallway. 

When they had all crept by unnoticed, the party made their way through the various hallways and stairways of the large school and got to the end of the hallway that contained the nurses office on the second floor. They peaked their heads into it to see if they were in the clear, but they were lucky enough to catch Will and Jonathan just as they were leaving the nurse’s office. They could recognize Will’s haircut from behind any day, at least. 

Lucas and Dustin, who were in the lead of the group, shushed Max and Mike when they questioned what was going on behind them. Dustin signaled for everyone to silently follow behind him when the Byers brothers were both turned around. 

“So, why are you trying to get out of class?” Jonathan immediately asked Will. Even he knew!

Mike noted that somehow even from behind Will looked tired. He shoulders were drooped and even his head was hanging down a little. His feet were barely lifting off the ground when he walked, instead shuffling across the school tiles.

“I’m just feeling, uh.. Sick.” Will responded, but he sounded like he knew he wasn’t being convincing.

“You sound like even you know you’re lying. Come on, I had to leave calc to take you home, what's actually wrong?” Jonathan pried. He didn’t sound too annoyed, but rather worried for his little brother. 

The group all followed the brothers in a silent line. Thankfully, they were all experts on moving as quietly as possible when it counted, and the Byers were so wrapped up in their conversation that Mike doubted that they would notice if he sneezed behind them. 

The two began to head down the stairs that would take them to the main entrance, which fortunately meant that the four would be able to spy on the rest of the conversation from the stair railing above.

“I… I don’t know what’s wrong with me, Jonathan,” Will sighed, head dropping to stare at his shoes. “I’m not sick, and it has nothing to do with the mind flayer or anything, but it’s just…” 

Before Will could carry on, the main doors shut behind him and Jonathan as they left the building. Mike was glad that Will was technically alright, but what else in the world could possibly be wrong?

“Shit,” Dustin muttered under his breath, “He couldn’t have sped up that sentence just a little more?”

“Let’s go back to lunch before someone notices us,” Lucas whispered, annoyance tinging his hushed voice. 

____

The quartet just made it back to their lunch table with 15 minutes left for the lunch period. Now that they could be loud like the rest of the cafeteria, Dustin fully expressed his frustration. 

“So he’s fine, but something’s ‘wrong’ with him?! What the hell does that even mean?”

“He was just acting super quiet all class. He’s quiet sometimes, but he looked really anxious and just stared at his desk the whole period,” Max piped up, resting her head in her hands in thought. 

“Why wouldn’t he tell us if something was wrong?” Mike sighed. He let his chin fall onto the table as he gazed at the rest of his friends, who were all racking their brains for anything that could have caused Will to be like this. 

If anything, Mike was more hurt than everything. Dustin and Lucas were quick to be aggravated and Max was just confused, but Mike knew Will longer than any of them. Why wouldn’t he rely on him?

“Okay, let’s just retrace our steps. Was Will acting differently last Friday at the mall?” Max suggested logically. 

When everyone was quick to get emotional, she was always able to remain headstrong. She proved to be a good member of their group. 

“I don’t know, he seemed fine,” Lucas said, shrugging his shoulders. 

“Yeah, but wasn’t he acting weird when we were leaving? He was kinda behind the group, wasn’t he?” Dustin spoke up, “What were we all doing then?” 

“You, me, and Max were all walking around the front, right?” Lucas remembered. “And Mike and El were being all flirty behind us.”

“We weren’t flirting!” Mike insisted, exasperated, “We’re just friends.”

“Yeah, fine, but you guys weren’t like that until we started leaving right?” Dustin said, the shiny gears in his mind finally turning. Mike nodded in response. 

“Shit!” Dustin and Lucas had come to the same conclusion, it seemed. 

“Will’s jealous!” Lucas shouted, gaining the attention of several students around them. He was too caught up to care until Max smacked his arm to quiet him down. “Okay, okay, but it’s the only explanation!”

“What would he even be jealous of?” Mike tried to reason. 

“I dunno, maybe he has a crush on El or something?” Dustin proposed. 

No, Mike knew Will. “El? I don’t think so, he doesn’t really like girls. Or anyone, I don’t know?”

“So what, you think he’s gay or something?” Lucas wondered aloud. That wasn’t what Mike meant to imply. 

“I mean he’s never really had crushes on girls before, has he?” Dustin said.

Mike thought about all the times the group had sleepovers and one of them would bring up a girl in their grade or an actress they all thought was attractive. Will wouldn’t ever contribute anything to the conversation, except maybe that, yeah she was nice, or that he thought she was cool. 

“Maybe he’s a plant,” Dustin added, only half-joking. 

“I mean, if he’s gay then it’ll explain why he’d wanna avoid us,” Lucas stated. 

“Why, though?” Max asked. Will didn’t even know about the conversation transpiring, what would make him avoid them?

“Maybe he thought we’d figure it out, I dunno.” 

“Okay, but be rational here,” Mike said, “We can’t just jump to conclusions like this. It could be something entirely different and here we are, theorizing he’s gay when it doesn’t explain why he’s avoiding us.” Will could’ve been jealous of Mike and El's conversation. He could have had something else on his mind entirely that was bothering him!

Dustin completely ignored Mike’s sensible reasoning. “But, if he’s gay, would it mean that he was actually jealous of El being with Mike? Or would he be jealous of El?” 

Lucas and Dustin fell into their own conversation of theorizing Will’s sexuality while Max and Mike shook their heads at each other. They were used to the two getting carried away in their own little worlds often, so they just ignored them and waiting for the lunch period to end. 

_____

Dustin and Lucas were attached by the shoulder when they continued to discuss ideas walking down the hallway outside of the cafeteria. Mike rolled his eyes at them and went in the other direction to stop by his locker before getting to class. 

He thought about their conversation. He didn’t think that jumping to any conclusions was smart, and he had no idea how Lucas got the idea of Will being gay in his head. 

Dustin tagging along with the idea so quickly wasn’t a good thing either, but Mike figured that if he thought of some other reasons for Will’s avoidance then he could derail his two friends’ spiraling assumptions about their friend. 

By the end of the school day, Mike had only been able to think up a couple of theories. He considered first that maybe Will was upset with them for not making too much of an attempt to include him in their conversations, but Will was the one who trailed behind them in the first place, right? 

Or maybe he was hiding something else, something Mike couldn't figure out but continued to consider its possibility. 

If Lucas hadn’t brought up the idea of Will being gay in the first place, Mike questioned if he would’ve come to the conclusion on his own. 

However, with his extensive amount of time to think during classes, Mike figured out that even if Will was gay, it wasn’t a reason that he would be avoiding his friends. 

No matter the reasons he racked his brain for, none of them made any sense. They would’ve noticed if Will had a crush on any of them, right? Or on any boy, for that matter.

Of course, Mike tried to ignore the tiny voice in the back of his head that brought up all of the times that he caught Will staring at him while they were hanging out, even if he pretended like he didn’t notice it. 

More importantly, he ignored the fact that he liked the thought that Will, by some miraculous, impossible chance, might like him…(back). 

No, Mike Wheeler most definitely didn’t have a crush on his friend that he had been suppressing for years (until he was forced to think about it, a lot, a several months ago). 

Yes, he had genuinely crushed on girls before, but perhaps not at strongly as he’d wish when he had his best friend as a distraction from all of that. 

Oh, the joys of being a questioning teenage boy with parents who were less than accepting of whatever he’s internalized. Mike couldn’t stop thinking about it all for the rest of the day, more so after stopping around Will’s classes to pick up the work he missed. 

_____

Finally, finally, Will was residing in the comfort of his own home. Jonathan had returned to school to finish up the day, and Will was never so excited for him to return. 

However, before Will had left the car, he asked Jonathan if he should tell Joyce about his sexuality. 

“I know Mom wouldn’t have a problem with it, but tell her when you think you’re ready. If you wanna tell her soon, she might be able to help you figure some stuff out if you want, but don’t overwhelm her so quickly.”

Will nodded and head into his house, sighing when he put his backpack down in his room and walked back out into the completely empty house. 

The one thing that had slipped his mind, though, was that his mom was the textbook definition of a Momma Bear. A very anxious, assuming Momma Bear. 

Will had taken to watching TV in the living room to pass the time when Joyce had burst through the door minutes after he’d arrived home, her head swinging around looking for her son. 

“Will?” she called out before noticing him sitting on the recliner, surprised at her appearance. 

“Mom? What are you--” 

“Are you okay?” Joyce rushed over to Will and immediately began checking his temperature with the back of her hand, going as far as to make sure all his limbs were intact and he wasn’t seriously injured at first glance. “They called from the school but I wasn’t at the counter, and then I called back and they said Jonathan was gonna take you home so I figured I’d come home and check on you and--”

“Mom! Take a deep breath,” Will interjected before Joyce started turning purple from speaking so long. 

“Will, I have very good reason to be worried about you!” Joyce insisted, finally stepping away from Will to place her hands on her hips. “You hole yourself up in your room all weekend and barely talk at meals, how am I supposed to know what’s going on?” 

Will knew why his mom had grown so protective over the past couple of years, what with everything they had to endure as a family, from shitty husbands to inter-dimensional demons. Yeah, she had every right. 

“I’m sorry Mom! It doesn’t have anything to do with... what happened, but I’m fine! I just felt dizzy and nauseous in class and didn’t wanna faint in the hallway or something,” Will tried to reassure, hoping Joyce wouldn’t get too anxious about him. 

“And this weekend?” she asked after believing his story. 

“Uh,” Will hesitated, “Boy stuff?” 

“That’s all you could come up with?” Joyce quirked an eyebrow, but she was determined to pry and figure out what’s going on with her son. 

She wasn’t overprotective for nothing. 

“I don’t know, Mom, it’s complicated. I just needed some time to think it over and I guess it got to me in class.”

“Will..” Joyce’s time became gentler and she crouched next to her son. “You know you can always talk to me or Jon about it. We’re always here for you,” 

“I know, Mom.” Will smiled, ”Jonathan and I are gonna talk about it after school. Y’know, boy stuff.”

Joyce smiled and fluffed Will’s hair, glad for the confirmation that her son was in fact alright. With the extra reassurance that Jonathan was going to be helping him out, she felt even better after the long weekend. 

Checking her watch, Joyce realized she had 4 minutes left of the break she had taken to see Will. She rose and got ready to leave the house and drive back to work, but not before kissing Will on the forehead. 

Sure, she wasn’t completely sure about Will really being okay, but she trusted him and Jon to figure it out. 

And with that, Will was left alone in the Byers house once more. 

_____

“So, have you thought of how you’re gonna stop ignoring them yet?” Jonathan asked Will. The two were on Jonathan’s bed in his room, the door closed and music playing just quietly enough for the brothers to still hear each other while talking. 

Will brought his knees up to his chest. “I dunno, I can’t really think of anything. It would be weird if I just started to act like nothing was wrong, right? They’d be asking questions.” 

Jonathan looked at his brother thoughtfully. “I think they’ll come to you, knowing them. They’re so adamant on everything I wouldn’t be surprised if they blasted the door down with battering rams soon.” 

Will couldn’t help but chuckle at Jonathan’s comment, even if he knew it was true. “You’re probably right, but what do I even say? ‘Hey guys, here’s your pal Will, totally normal and ready to go’?” Will imitated a robot.

“I dunno, maybe tell them you’ve been getting migraines all weekend or something? I don’t want you to lie, but unless you’re planning on telling your friends who were having a sexuality crisis, it might be the only option.” 

Will thought about Jonathan’s plan. He would probably be able to manage the story, considering it was pretty believable. He’d have to make an extra excuse as to why he couldn’t tell his friends directly, but he’d figure it out. 

“That’ll work. What about… Mike?” Will’s voice grew quiet, even if no one was going to hear him except for Jonathan. He still grew red-faced speaking about the topic out loud, even if he knew Jonathan wouldn’t judge him. 

“Mike what?” 

“I mean, do I tell him I like him? He definitely doesn’t feel the same way, but I can’t even look him in the eye without remembering the, uh, dream.” Will was somehow growing even more red, heat crawling all over the back of his neck and arms in embarrassment. 

“I don’t really know about telling him,” Jonathan answered truthfully. He should have been prepared for the question, but he forgot about that aspect of the issue. “It’s a small town, and I know Mike isn’t like some of the kids in your grade but I’ve met his dad before and man, does that guy have some strong opinions.” 

“So don’t tell him?” Will tried to confirm. 

“I’d say for now, maybe try avoiding it until something comes up. Maybe he’ll make an offhand comment about a guy or you’ll catch him looking at you or something, but with his dad around I’m afraid that even if he likes boys, he might internalize all of it.” 

Will expected the answer and already knew that Mike was very, very straight, despite not sharing his dad’s point of view. Still, he couldn’t help feel dejected about the fact. 

“But, I mean, life throws crazy circumstances at us. Even if it doesn’t work out with Mike, once you get to college and leave this tiny town then you can go somewhere what has plenty of other guys who like guys like you! The possibilities are endless, Will.” Jonathan was never really much of an optimist, and he definitely wasn’t a motivational speaker, but he wanted to let down Will about Mike a little easier. He knew that there was an extremely good chance Mike was straight, but he didn’t want to convince his little brother that he should go for it without a good reason to. 

Will exhaled, knowing he’d have to hang in there until he left for college. A large part of him doubted there were any other gay people in Hawkins, much less any willing to be out in the open about it. 

“Do you think I should tell the party, though?” Will questioned. He knew it was all his choice, and he knew that he’s been through hell and back with his friends. They would support him no matter what he was, but would it be a good idea?

“Maybe, but only when you think you’re ready. As long as they know that they shouldn’t be telling anyone, it’s all up to you, Will.” 

Will nodded the two fell into silence, listening to the music that drowned anything going on outside. 

Will was one of the lucky ones. He knew how people were in this small town, and he knew about Mike’s parents being one of those people. With everything that had gone wrong in Will’s life, what with his childhood being robbed in every aspect, he had the most supportive family he could have possibly ever hoped for. He knew Jonathan and Joyce would love him no matter who he was. 

So, Will leapt forward and wrapped Jonathan up in a bear hug. Jonathan nearly fell off the bed, caught off guard, but he recovered and hugged his little brother back tightly. To think that someone that has been through so much was terrified about his own sexuality…

Jonathan mussed up Will’s hair when they pulled away after what seemed like a long time. 

“Thanks, Jonathan,” Will said rather shyly. No matter the situation, he was always safe with his brother. 

“Anytime, weirdo,” Jonathan joked, and they laughed in contentment. 

_____

“Nance, can I tell you something?” 

It was the evening, and Jonathan was on the phone with his girlfriend. He was sat at his desk doing some homework, finding that it was always easier to get through when Nancy was also doing work. 

“Yeah, anything. You know that, Jon,” Nancy replied from the other line. 

Jonathan debated asking Nancy about Mike’s sexuality ever since he talked to Will about it. He didn’t want to do anything to hurt the tremendous amount of trust Will had with him, but Jonathan knew his girlfriend. He knew she wouldn’t dare breathe a word about Will to anyone. 

“You can’t tell anyone,” Jonathan said. 

It would help though, right? If someone who wasn’t homophobic in Mike’s family, who lived with him, had an idea of her brother’s life? 

“Yeah, of course. Is it anything… bad?” Nancy’s mind always assumed the worse, but Jonathan’s tone wasn’t much of a help with the cogs turning in her mind. 

“No, no, not at all,” Jonathan reassured, “It’s just a sensitive topic, kinda.” 

“Go ahead, then.” Nancy’s concentration on her work was overcome by her growing curiosity. 

“Well, Will told me… he told me he likes boys. I always wondered what it was about him, but I could never place a finger on it until he told me. That’s regardless of the point, but…” 

Jonathan hesitated. He could divert the sentence on another track, but he needed to know for the sake of his brother. 

“Yeah?” Nancy said. 

“He told me… he told me he has some feelings for Mike. And y’know, you’re his sister, is there any way..? Any way he likes boys or maybe Will, somehow?” Jonathan internally cringed at himself. His voice was cracking, that was a part of it, but he was blatantly telling his girlfriend about something Will most definitely didn’t want to be repeated by anyone but himself. 

Nancy was quiet on the line for a moment, thinking. “You know, I’ve always had a hunch, but I was looking in the basement for something the other day and found his journal… I never looked through it but I don’t think he’s moved it…” 

Jonathan thought about it and weakly laughed. “God, we’re bad siblings.” 

Nancy couldn’t help but giggle herself. “Well, you already have a discrepancy because you told me, so we can even it out?”

The logic was skewed, but it made the two feel better. 

It was silent as Nancy went to go look for the lost journal, the only thing accompanying his thoughts being the scribbling of pen on paper. Jonathan lazily did his homework, guilt blanketing his shoulders. No, no, it was for Will’s sake. If somehow Mike had written about some feelings he might have about Will, then he could try and push his little brother in the right direction. 

The line became alive again when Jonathan heard the door of Nancy’s room open and close, her feet shuffling over her carpet. 

“I finally found the damn thing. Mike was in the kitchen when I passed by and I could barely slide it under my shirt so he wouldn’t see it.” Nancy’s line finally calmed down when she sat down and set the journal in front of her. “I can’t help but feel bad, though.”

“Yeah, me too,” Jonathan sighed. 

Silence. 

“I should probably check anyway.”

“It’s for their own good.”

They said it at the same time. They laughed, despite convincing themselves that they in fact weren’t breaking the trust of their unknowing siblings. 

“It’s just this once, right?” Nancy assured herself. 

“Definitely,” Jonathan said. 

Page flipping was heard in Jonathan’s ear when Nancy finally opened up the journal. 

“Jeez, it’s almost full. The first date says he started it a year ago…” 

“Just try looking for Will’s name, maybe?” Jonathan suggested, “Keywords, stuff like that. Gay or crushes or something.” 

Nancy hummed, scanning through the worn pages. When she came across some of the things written about the events of the year before, she could barely make herself skim through the paragraphs upon paragraphs of Mike’s chicken scratch. She barely skipped through about her little brothers fear and his retelling of everything in his point of view. 

She backtracked to the content before that instead. It wasn’t the time to be reliving all the horrors of the previous year. 

“The little shit, he’s complaining about me telling him to clean his room,” Nancy muttered offhandedly. Jonathan laughed on the other line. 

“Anything interesting?” He asked. 

Nancy skipped to a later part of the journal, looking around when it was slowly turning winter. 

“I’m gonna see if I can find anything about the Snow Ball,” Nancy said, carefully flipping through. 

“Didn’t he go with Eleven?” 

“I think so,” Nancy confirmed,”I’m pretty sure they kissed too, but they’re not dating as far as I know..”

She finally found the entry. Mike must’ve written it when he came home. 

“I’m not seeing a lot… Oh, it says he kissed Eleven, but… he said he didn’t really feel anything. Just someone else’s lips on his, nothing too special…” Nancy reported, but she began to laugh. “Jeez, he doesn’t worry about being polite either. ‘You’d think for my first kiss would be all fireworks. I could’ve been kissing my hand and it would’ve been the same’.” 

Jonathan laughed at how blatant he knew Mike could be. “Is there anything about Will later?” 

Nancy noiseless as she continued her search, but gasped several seconds in. “I think I found something,” 

“Yeah?” 

“‘I think I’m the most unlucky human being alive. After everything we had to go through, the universe and whatever the hell is in it decides to make me have a crush on a boy. I’ve been trying to push it away for so long but when it gets worse and worse it’s just’...” Nancy trailed off. 

“You alright?” Jonathan asked, worried. 

“Shit, there’s tear marks on the paper… he continued with ‘it’s just harder to ignore that you might have a crush on your best friend. Is there a god? Whoever it is, do they hate me? Did they put me in this family to torture me? To make me hate myself for it?’.” 

“Fuck,” Jonathan muttered, hushed. It only made him feel more guilty. 

“I didn’t think Mike felt this way… Christ, I feel like it gets worse,” Nancy said, pained. “‘Will Nance hate me? If dad finds out, he’d kick me out for sure. I don’t know what to do with myself after ignoring it for years.’.” 

“‘I think I might like boys and girls though. I could always end up marrying a girl, but having a crush on Will of all people??? I feel like i’m trapped in a box and I can’t even tell anyone about it. Why can’t I be normal?’”

Nancy sniffled on the other line. 

“You alright, Nance?” Jonathan asked. Jeez, he could barely imagine what it’s like to have to come to terms with your sexuality, but to have to read it in your brothers tear stained diary? 

“Yeah, just…” Nancy sniffled again. “I wish he didn’t feel like he couldn’t talk to anyone. Mom isn’t too bad about it all but Dad is the absolute worst. I never try to make comments about it because I don’t want to fuel anything but I don’t know how to tell him without giving it all away,”

Jonathan nodded, even if Nancy couldn’t see him. “Hey, I mean, maybe if you make some comments to him about how stupid your dad’s being, he’ll feel more comfortable?”

Nancy supposed it was true, and she could try and have a heart to heart with him if she was given the chance. 

“Besides,” Jonathan continued, “We got what we needed, right? It kinda sucks, and I feel bad, but you can try and hide it before he notices.”

Nancy got up from her desk chair and snuck downstairs again, trying to place the journal in the basement similar to how she found it, and then running backstairs before anyone asked her why she was going down in the first place. 

“That was… a trip,” she finally sighed when she was back in her room in her desk chair. 

“Agreed,” Jonathan said, leaning back in his chair. Both of their homework was abandoned, but they had other things to think about now. 

“So.. I guess Mike does like Will after all?” Jonathan said, remembering the original reason why they looked through his diary. 

“I guess he does. Good for Will though, right?” Nancy responded, hoping that justifying it would make her feel better about snooping through her brothers things. 

“Yeah, I just can’t help but still feel bad about it…”

“Yeah, me too. Mike’s looked through my diary before, but at least I knew that he did.”

“I’ll see what I’ll tell Will tomorrow, but we should probably get back to doing work,” Jonathan eventually muttered. 

Jonathan knew that he’d always feel guilty about what had transpired over the phone call, but in the end, he knew that Will had a chance. Poor Will, who probably thinks that he’ll have to wait 4 years before ever exploring with people he actually liked, had a chance. 

Nancy also knew that Mike was going through a lot more than she could imagine now. She could’ve been easier on him at times, but now she knew she could make more of an effort to not give Mike a hard time when she didn’t need to. 

Yeah, it was a win-win. Definitely. 

_____

Somehow, with Jonathan’s fantastic convincing (cough, lying) skills and Will’s natural ability to act, the two had convinced Joyce that Will should take a mental health day for himself for the next day. 

It was difficult at first considering Will had told his mom he was fine before, but when Karen Wheeler had called the Byers house later and asked about Will, Joyce was already convinced. Mrs. Wheeler questioned her about Will and if he was sick, because at dinner Mike had told them about how he was acting off at school and left early. She asked if they needed anything to help, but Joyce politely declined. 

When she hung up, she had declared to the house that Will was to take the next day off to get himself feeling better for the rest of the school week. By no means did Will protest.

_____

“He’s not here at all?!” Lucas barely shouted. 

The cafeteria was less crowded than usual, causing some people to turn their heads, but Lucas truly didn’t care. 

“He wasn’t in homeroom this morning, but I thought he was just late or something,” Dustin said. 

“Nope, he wasn’t here last period either. It’s too late to come even for a tardy,” Max said, biting into her sandwich while she observed the conversation. 

“I got all of his missed work and I was gonna give it to him this morning, but I guess I have to give it all to him after school today,” Mike sighed. 

Dustin and Lucas continued speaking in their outrage and Max only listened, not too invested in their anger. Yeah, she was annoyed and genuinely liked Will, but she knew that Dustin and Lucas knew him for longer and it was more out of place for them. 

Mike knew he had to think about his crush on Will in more depth eventually. He realized he knew he always liked Will a while ago, but it was a matter of not repressing it anymore and figuring out what to do about it now. 

He didn’t like that Lucas and Dustin theorizing that Will was gay gave him a sliver of hope. A tiny, minuscule, flicker of hope that told him that in a million years, he might have a chance with a boy in this damn town. Even with his parents being the way they are. 

He stayed up later than he’d care to admit, thinking about what he should do. Even with Lucas and Dustin’s conspiracies, none of it meant Will actually liked boys. It was pure speculation at Will's odd behavior, really.

Mike had to make a mental chart in his head just to organize his so-called evidence. On one hand, Will could be completely straight and uninterested on anything involving romance considering he hasn’t had a crush on a girl before. 

On the other hand, Mike had caught Will gazing at him more than once. He couldn’t decipher if it was Will getting lost in space or just looking at him normally, but the fact that it was recurring made his stomach swirl. Best friends don’t look at each other like that, right? Mike would usually glance at Will back and he would look away as if he didn’t realize he was staring, or ignore Will with butterflies in his stomach. 

“Mike… Mike!”

Mike was startled out of his little thinking world. “What, what?”

“You still there? You spaced out for a little,” Dustin questioned. 

“I’m alright, just got lost for a second,” Mike answered, rubbing his eyes and yawning again. 

His friends noticed how circles began to line under Mike’s eyes, but they decided not to mention it and let him be. 

Mike only barely focused on them for the rest of lunch though, only waiting for the school day to end so he could stop by Will’s classes and pick up all of his school work so he could have a chance to know the day’s material when he returns to school. Maybe he would have a chance to stop by Will’s house after school and talk, maybe. 

But man, did Mike not realize how much more quickly the days went by when Will was around. He loved the party, but when one of them was gone there was always a little hole in the group. 

Mike was just so much more used to having Will by his side, no matter where they were. When everyone was together, it was easy for Dustin and Lucas to fall into their own world of whatever came to mind. When Max began to tag along though, she fit right in with their eccentric conversations, what with being Lucas’ girlfriend as well. 

It usually left Will and Mike alone, sometimes with the addition of El when she was with them. The two would always be able to get along, having their own immersive conversations but usually less intense. Either way, Mike enjoyed time with everyone the most when Will was around, and not seeing him since Friday had thrown him off his groove. 

He could only hope that Will was willing to talk to him when he came by after school.


	3. Now or Never

Before Jonathan went to bed after his phone call with Nancy, he stopped by Will’s room. The door was ajar and Jonathan could see his brother getting ready for bed, putting some stuff away and organizing a little before he said goodnight to his family. 

“Hey, Will?” Jonathan made himself known, leaning on the doorway. 

“Yeah?” Will responded, continuing to put some things away. 

“I just got off the phone with Nance, but I was thinking. Maybe you should try and go for it with Mike." Jonathan forced himself to act as nonchalantly as he could, even if a beaming smile threatened to break out of his casual expression. "I think talking to Nancy made me realize that we miss a lot of the chances we don’t take, right? And with everything that’s happened, what could go so wrong, really?”

Will stopped and looked thoughtful before slowly nodded. “I guess you’re right. You only live once, right?” 

“Exactly,” Jonathan smiled. They both knew it very well. “Well then, I’ll see you after school tomorrow. Good night, Will.”

“Night, Jon,” Will said, finally pulling out his pajamas from a drawer. Jonathan having confidence somehow brought up Will’s confidence as well, even if anxiety gnawed at his stomach. 

He gets possessed by inter dimensional demon and he gets nervous about telling someone he had a crush on them? 

The new sense of perspective calmed Will down considerably. 

_____

The next day, Will had woken up around noon, surprisingly. He had been fortunate enough to have not dreamt anything, but he supposed that catching up on all of his lost sleep was the least his body could do for him. 

Will carried out the day hanging out in the living room, watching whatever was on the TV while drawing or writing about nonsense stories and characters. It was nice to have a break from himself, something he hadn’t really dedicated to himself in a long time. He felt like a kid most of the day, lounging around the house without a care plaguing his mind. 

The hours seemed to fly by because soon enough, the lock on the front door knob jangled and Jonathan walked in after unlocking it, backpack weighing down his shoulders. He only greeted Will with an odd knowing smile and shuffled off into the kitchen, probably planning on making himself a snack and then going out later. 

Will shrugged off his brother’s weird glance and continued watching TV. He would probably situate himself in his room before Joyce got home, maybe listen to some music and think about how much school work and homework he would have to make up when he came in the next day. 

The train of thought only made his mind float back to the topic of his friends. Lest they bike by and stop to inquire about Will’s disappearance, he rehearsed the outline of the story he had created in his head. 

Simply, Will just had migraines all weekend. They were on and off, but came in so randomly he couldn’t predict it. It made him sensitive to blinding light and loud sounds, so it was easier to explain it all when he felt better. 

Believable enough, he thought. Lucas and Dustin were always paranoid and wouldn’t buy the story right away, but with the right amount of convincing and incorporating some acting magic, Will would be able to pass it. 

So, somehow Will predicted the knock that came at his door a few minutes later, probably the party all on their bikes waiting for him outside. He got up and took a deep breath before swinging the door open, expecting to see one of his friends at the door while the others were on their bikes in front of the porch. 

Instead, all Will got was Mike at his doorstep, bike abandoned on the porch stairs and stack of papers in his hands. Will’s heart skipped a beat, probably to spite him. 

“I, uh, got all the work you missed. Figured you could finish all the stuff you knew so it isn’t that bad when you come back,” Mike awkwardly said, not looking at Will in the eye and shifting his weight in his legs. 

“Oh, thanks Mike… You can come in if you’re not busy,” Will suggested after a beat, accepting the surprisingly heavy stack of papers from his friend. 

“You sure? If you’re sick and can’t hang out, it’s alright.” Mike knew that Will wasn’t sick, but he still felt hurt about him ditching the party for a weekend with no explanation. 

“No, no, I’m not sick or anything, just…” Will tried lamely, script completely thrown out the window in panic, “Migraines. Really bad migraines lately.”

Mike looked up. See, he knew there could’ve been a good reason for Will’s disappearance. 

If it weren’t so obvious that Will was lying. 

“I can hang out for a little, but I have to be home in time for dinner,” Mike eventually responded, knowing he’d get the real story out of Will if it was the last thing he did. He knew he’d have to pry for it, but seeing Will’s smile only made him feel slightly guilty about it. 

Will invited Mike in and let him take his shoes off before leading him to his room. Will caught Jonathan’s eye while passing by the kitchen and only received a reaffirming nod from his brother, confirming what was probably going to happen. 

Will swallowed his nerves and went into his room first, closing the door after Mike and fiddling with his CD player to quietly play some music amongst the suffocating, awkward air. 

Mike sat at the end of Will’s bed and Will decided to sit a couple of feet away from him, both of them facing the wall. 

“So, uh,”

“Yeah, um,”

“You go first,” Mike said, needing a moment to think his words over. 

“No, it wasn’t anything important. You go first,” Will insisted, but he had no idea how to bring up the topic he was hoping they’d eventually fall into. 

Mike nodded, sighing after a beat of tense silence. “What’s the real reason you’re avoiding us?” 

“A-avoiding? I’m not—“ Will stammered, taken aback about how blunt Mike could be sometimes. 

“Yeah, you are,” Mike unintentionally snapped, “You ditch us all weekend and you couldn’t even look me in the eye at school. Then you casually leave school before lunch so you wouldn’t have to see us? If you’re having a problem, you know you can always talk to us—“ He couldn't hold back. 

“It’s not that simple, Mike,” Will defended himself. Mike had zero idea what type of inner turmoil he had to deal with because of him!

“What isn’t so simple that you can’t even give us a heads up, maybe a, ‘Hey guys, I’m gonna make sure I can avoid you at all costs while I figure something out. Don’t worry about me though!’.” Mike became more aggravated despite knowing it wasn’t going to solve anything. He was releasing all the pent up hurt and confusion the 4 days without Will had granted him. 

“You can’t make assumptions like that and think there’s not a good reason for me to be avoiding the closest friends I’ve ever had!” Will shot back, equally frustrated with Mike and the entire situation at hand. The two stared each other down in hot anger. 

“So you agree, you were avoiding us,” Mike huffed, “You’d think you’d be able to come to your closest friends for anything, but you can’t even tell  _ me _ about it? Christ, Will, I  _ missed  _ you!”

His hurt was truly shining in his eyes right now. Will had seen Mike in his most vulnerable moments before, but this hit him a little differently this time. 

“Yeah, because it’s  _ about  _ you!” Will blurted out, realizing that he shouldn’t have said it moments too late. 

“Me?” Mike immediately questioned, not sure he heard him right. He couldn’t help the leap of his heart, or the whispering thoughts in the back of his mind suggesting that maybe Dustin and Lucas were right…

No, no. It couldn’t be. 

Will sighed. It really was now or never, right? “I… had a revelation… after a weird dream…” Will barely pushed the words through gritted teeth. 

Mike nodded but didn’t understand one bit of what Will was trying to say. Was this another one of his attempts at an excuse?

Will continued, even if he hadn’t gotten a verbal response from Mike and refused to look anywhere near him. “And, uh… After I had my revelation I needed some time to think…” Will’s sentences were stretched long and awkward, but he fidgeted with his fingers from pure nervousness. 

“Okay…” Mike digested the Will’s words. “But what do you have to realize to make you go out of your way to not even see us? And how is it about me?” 

Will’s leg bounced up and down on his wooden floor, eyes darting around the room. Now or never. 

“Mike, I…” He took a deep breath. “I’m… gay.” 

Two words had somehow knocked the wind out of Will and his leg was bouncing uncontrollably now. Had he said it out loud like that before? He couldn’t remember, but his ears rang and he lost focus of the world for a second. 

“Will… Will!” Mike had to shake Will back onto planet Earth. Will jumped but didn’t seem scared, only surprised. 

Mike retracted his hand, but it still felt like a burning hole in Will’s shirt. 

“You alright?” Mike asked, fiddling with his hands. He was afraid Will would see his heart beating out of his chest with the way it was thundering in his rib cage. 

Dustin and Lucas were right. 

“Yeah, just… haven’t said it like that before,” Will replied, still recovering from the shock he somehow gave himself. Mike was quiet, and Will shifted so he can peek at him. 

Mike was concentrated on something, probably thinking. He looked nervous, but it only made Will more anxious. 

“Is it… weird?” WIll tried, praying for a good reaction. Mike snapped his head up and also shifted towards Will. 

“No, not at all, I’m just thinking… What did I have to do with it?” Mike was burning with curiosity. Was his hunch true? Could Will possibly… like him? 

“The, uh,” Will trailed off, quiet, “The dream. You were in it. It made me… realize a couple of things.”

“A couple?” Mike pushed, but the gears in his head were already spinning, trying to figure out what type of dream would have prompted 4 days worth of avoidance. 

It came to him a moment later, and he grew red. At the very least, they were dating, right? Kissing, maybe? It seemed innocent enough, but imagining made heat creep up his neck anyway. 

“Yeah, I mean… liking boys,”

“And?” 

“Liking…” Will started. 

_Now, or never._

“Liking you.”

Will was so hushed Mike could barely hear his words, but he knew exactly what they were. 

They were still facing each other, but they were looking at anywhere but the other. Will was beet red and, frankly, terrified. Why wasn’t Mike saying anything? 

They checked in on each other at the same time, meeting eyes. 

“Me too,” Mike breathed. 

“What?” 

Will couldn’t believe his ears. He thought he was dreaming. Was he dreaming? Again? 

He pinched his thigh to make sure. 

“I… like you,” Mike said again. 

_ Had Will’s eyes always had flakes of honey in them? _ , Mike thought. The sun filtered through the blinds and hit them just right.  _ Pools of gold _ . Their faces were inching closer and closer on their own somehow. 

Will's world was spinning. He felt like he couldn't breathe. Mike... liked him. He also liked Mike. A lot. Were they going to kiss? Will's mind was racing a mile a minute. 

He was seeing in slow motion now. He glanced at Mike’s lips. Had he ever been so close to them? Had he ever noticed how pink they were up close? They were only slightly parted, revealing a tiny sliver of Mike’s white teeth. 

It seemed like ages until either had the courage to close the gap between them. Their lips met gently, but it was still clumsy. Teeth clattered and noses bumped, but somehow, it was still the most perfect thing that could have ever happened to Will. 

It could’ve been moments or hours, but they eventually pulled away. Mike rested his forehead on Will’s, looking at him, but Will’s eyes only just fluttered open. 

Mike couldn’t help but smile. He felt his face grow red, but he was so unbelievably happy. 

Will had to pinch himself again. Mike was smiling, and at first Will thought he was laughing at him, but soon he was smiling too. 

Gaining an ounce of confidence, Mike moved his hands so they were lightly resting on Will’s hips. Will’s face burned even more. 

As he leaned in for another kiss, he experimentally placed one hand on Mike’s shoulder and the other at the back of his neck. The kiss more relaxed now that they’ve done it before, and they took more time to figure it out. 

A voice in Mike’s head was screaming at him about how wrong it all was. Jonathan could walk in on them at any moment, or Joyce could’ve come home early and wanted to check in on them. What would they do if they were caught?

Worst of all, what would his dad think if he knew?

However, all of that flew out the window when Will unintentionally tugged on Mike’s hair trying to readjust his position on the bed. Mike was pulled back into reality, but what was the most sobering was that he liked the tug. 

They pulled away again, trying to regain their breathe and contain the beaming smiles bursting out the corners of their mouths. 

Will felt at a loss for words, so many thoughts storming through his mind that he didn’t know what to focus on. Instead of mulling over anything, he decided to focus on Mike, whose hands were still on his hips and lips were slightly, slightly swollen. 

“Tell me I’m not dreaming,” Mike muttered. They were still close, Will’s hands comfortably resting on Mike’s shoulders, lost in their own little world. Will lightly pinched him on the cheek. 

“Not dreaming,” Mike confirmed. He lifted his hands to take Will’s hands into his lap. Had he never noticed how soft and small they were? 

“So, what does this mean? For us?” Will asked. His lips were still buzzing, but he needed to know. 

“I don’t know if you heard, but I like you too, Will,” Mike joked. 

“No, really,” Will couldn’t help but smile anyway, but he wanted to be serious. “Are we… dating now? Is it supposed to happen this fast?” 

“It’s kind of anticlimactic, isn’t it?” Mike wondered aloud, but he suddenly shifted away from Will and dramatically clasped his hands in his lap. 

“Here, this is better,” Mike said before clearing his throat and exaggerating a perfect posture. “Will Byers, do you take me, Mike Wheeler, to perhaps begin dating you?” 

Will laughed. “Is this usually how it happens?” 

“No, but it’s a little more interesting, right?” 

This was the Mike Will knew and loved. 

“So, your answer is…” 

“Yes, obviously,” Will replied, getting closer to Mike again. 

They didn’t need to think about what to tell their friends yet. They didn’t want to worry about their families, about Mike’s parents, or how they were going to hide their relationship from nearly the entire population of Halkins, Indiana. 

They wanted their bubble for a little bit. Eventually they would have to tell the party, and they both knew that wouldn’t cause problems. Will didn’t know when he’d tell Mike about how accepting his family is, how Jonathan was the one who really pushed him to confess to Mike. How did Jonathan know it would work out so well? 

Instead of thinking about it any more, Mike and Will leaned in for another kiss. It was like a drug, really. Will tried it for the first time, and now he’s hooked. 

Joy sprouted from his heart and twisted around his rib cage. He just couldn’t believe it. Things couldn’t have worked out better. 

_____

Mike spent some more time at the Byer’s house, planning to leave before he was late for dinner. He stayed and finished his homework while helping out Will with all of the work he missed. 

Will was hunched over a worksheet he placed on a folder so he could write on it while still on the bed, eyebrows furrowed in confusion until he finally got the answer to the problem. 

“So,” Mike started. They had been talking casually while going through all their work, but he couldn’t help but need to ask. “What exactly were we doing in this dream of yours? It had to be bad if you to avoid me for 4 days.”

“You don’t wanna know,” Will answered, getting embarrassed again. He chose to be extra, extra concentrated on the paper he was scribbling on instead. 

“I really, really do,” Mike said, but of course he had an idea. 

“Nope. Not today you don’t,” Will insisted. How was he supposed to repeat all of the inappropriate things his consciousness made him do with Mike out loud? 

“Fine, but I’ll get it out of you one day,” 

They returned to doing work until Mike had to go. Before they left Will’s room, they kissed one more time until Mike insisted that if they got too close, he wouldn’t be able to make himself leave. 

Will walked him to the door, but only watched Mike leave with a meek wave and a glint in his eyes. 

_____

“So, how’d it go?” Jonathan immediately asked Will when he began to walk back into his room. Jonathan was heading to his room after setting the kitchen table for dinner, but caught Will just in time. 

Will sighed in happiness. “It went so good, Jon,” 

“Tell me about it,” Jonathan responder, grateful that Wheeler was able to put such a smile on his little brothers face. He had too much to deal with, for the last year and the last four days. 

They went to Jonathan’s room and Will wistfully stared at the ceiling from Jonathan’s bed as he recalled the details of his confession. He spared his brother some of the details of course, but Jonathan listened to Will’s gushing fondly. 

Maybe the little breach of privacy on Jonathan and Nancy’s side was necessary. By the content look on Will’s face, Jonathan knew it was safe to say that in the end, it was all worth it. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that's the end of this story! I hope anyone reading enjoyed <3 Please kudos and comment, and have a nice day!!

**Author's Note:**

> This fic was by request, and I'll be taking more! Please please comment any ideas you might have for Stranger Things fics (perferably Byler but I'll do any) and I'll do my best to work on some!!
> 
> Please kudos and comment if you enjoyed, and have a nice day <3


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